Games for Kids in Elementary School to Learn How to Type Fast

By Nicole Engel

Typing is a necessary skill in today's world. Learning to type at a young age can give kids a leg up in high school, college and the workforce. The most effective form of typing is touch typing, where you type by feel instead of looking at the keyboard. Touch typing allows kids to learn how to type fast, but it can be a challenge especially, if the student already types another way. Games can make the learning process more interesting.

Dance Mat Typing

Dance Mat Typing is a free online game for beginning touch typists. A thorough walkthrough of how to type starts at the home keys and works its way around the keyboard two letters at a time. The journey is narrated by a cast of animals that represent different types of music.

This game works well for beginners because it is not timed, nor does it keep score or punish mistakes. If the child makes a mistake it says "oops" or makes a sound and highlights the key he or she missed. This will prevent frustration for little ones who need more time to feel comfortable at the keyboard.

Typing Adventure

Typing Adventure doesn't teach how to type, but it makes typing fun by turning it into an adventurous game. The main character is a scuba diver looking for lost treasure chests in shark-infested waters. The child must type words on the sharks before his character gets to the scuba diver.

Once a level is cleared, accuracy stats are displayed and a peg game starts with treasure chests. Clear the treasure tests to get the prize. This breaks up the monotony of typing and is motivation to keep playing.

Typing Instructor for Kids

Typing Instructor for Kids is filled with interactive typing games. Kids type their way through various worlds, collecting points and finding treasure while learning the basics of touch typing.

The game keeps track of the child's progress through speed and accuracy statistics that can be sorted by each finger or row. These statistics allow children to assess their weak points and to work on them and find areas where they excel while playing the games.